EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – Shomanicka Holly, 36, of East Saint Louis, Illinois, pled guilty today to a two-count felony information charging her with health care fraud and making materially false statements on a public housing form. As part of her plea, Holly admitted to defrauding a government funded health care program by requesting payment for services that she never performed.  The Illinois Department of Human Services (“IDHS”) operates a…

CHICAGO — An ongoing federal investigation into the failure of Washington Federal Bank for Savings in Chicago has resulted in criminal charges against three former members of the bank’s Board of Directors who allegedly conspired to obstruct regulators and falsify bank records. Washington Federal was closed in December 2017 after the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency determined that the bank was insolvent and had at least $66 million in…

CHICAGO — A federal grand jury has indicted a real estate developer and three others for allegedly participating in a mortgage fraud scheme that defrauded financial institutions out of at least $3 million. ANDRZEJ LAJEWSKI, who owned Des Plaines-based Highland Consulting Corp., and Chicago-based Quality Management and Remodeling Inc., schemed with two mortgage professionals and the owner of a remodeling company to fraudulently obtain at least $…

CHICAGO — A north suburban financial adviser has been indicted on federal fraud charges for allegedly swindling clients who had sought her assistance in purchasing a new home after foreclosure. MARY MARTINEZ, also known as Mary Flores, 53, of Glencoe, is charged with ten counts of wire fraud in an indictment returned Thursday in U.S. District Court in Chicago.  Arraignment has not yet been scheduled. The indictment was announced by John R…

TYLER, Texas – U.S. Attorney Stephen J. Cox announced today that six individuals have been arrested pursuant to a federal indictment alleging money laundering violations. “The threat posed by transnational organized crime is continuing to increase,” said U.S. Attorney Stephen J. Cox.  “Of particular concern to us is the financial exploitation of older Americans by foreign-based crime rings.  These villains are located thousands of…

CHICAGO — The owner of several Illinois nursing homes has been indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly skimming money from federally insured facilities that had defaulted on mortgage loans to pay expenses of a non-federally insured facility. MARK YAMPOL, 57, of St. Louis, Mo., is charged with one count of equity skimming, according to an indictment returned Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Chicago.  The charge is punishable by up…